Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-08-24
DLSTTNCTIONBE BETW ZEN BIGOTRH
AND WFUL FONDNESS
FOR PECULIAR -RELL
GIOUS BELIEFS
AND FORMS.
THE MAN MAD WHO HAS NO RE-
LIGIOUS PREFERENCE.
YOU SELDOM FIND A MAN WITH LARGE
INTELLECT WHO is A BIG0T.
LOOK OUT FOR THE MAN WHO SEES
BUT ONE SIDE OF RE-
LrGIOUS TRUTH.
MAY GOD INSPIRE US ALL WITH
THE LARGESTHEAR
CHRISTIAN CHARITY.
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON AUG. 14TH.

| THE HAMPToNs, August 14.-To-day the
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage's sermon is
Concerning the Bigots," and the text,
s.Then said they unto him, Say now Shib-
boleth land he said Sibboleth /; for he could
not frame to pronounce it right. Then
thew took him and slew him at the passa-
pes of Jordan Judges xii, 6.
Do YOU notice the difference of pronun-
citation between shibboleth and sibboleth ?
A yery small and unimportant difference,
Won saw. And that difference was the diff
ference between life and death for great
MANY people. The Lords people, Gilead
and Ephraim, got into great fight and
Epbraim was worsted, and on the retreat
came to the fords of the river Jordan to
cross. Order was given that all Ephraim-
ties coming there be slain. But how could
| it be found out who were Ephraimites. -
They we're detected by their pronunciation.
Shibboleth was word that stood for river.
The Ephraimites had brogue of their
own, and when they tried to say shlbboleth
always left out the sound of the "h. =
| When it was asked that they say shihboleth
thew said sibbeleth, and were slain. sThen
said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth !;
and he said Sibboleth, for he could not
frame to pronounce it right. Then they
took MN anu STEW LII az cHe d;s,pooa paoSS o,, W
JORDAN. yely snan un ~ w..
say, pe1"een oaeau anI ahnat ~ thn+ sr,al1 Sif
now mucn iht9ieranoe auuaS y; 'nr "u tinaoNh1
ference lhe uuiu s;Gm+ ec,uSs - doua~;nat;ons
wnicn 6 mean tne o.;r,os otnonu u,e~nifv . verv
Oh Ch[isclahs. sonJ'noe LILY ~, S;ff.roooo ho
shall olne.onoe' ano, w. +o.dav ;s tba
Gwsen ,.s sooi1s 4oon " sh;hbnletb and s;hho-
dinerence ,N1, o0'"eoA ''0
ietn.
The Church OF Goa Is divloe9 into a great
number of denominations. lime Wonio
fail me to tell OF the Caivlnlsts, ana tne
Arminians, and the Sa66atarlans' ana the
Baxterlans, and the DunKefs, anu tne
Shakers, and the Quakers, ana tne Metno-
dists, and the Baptlsts, ana the EPlscopa-
lians, and the Lutherans, ana tne Oo1gIe-
gationalists, and the Presbyterians, ana the
Spiritualists, and a score OF other denoml-
nations of religionists, some OF them found
ed by very good men, some OF them found
ed by very egotistic men, and some OF them
founded by very bad men. hut as L de-
mand for myself Ncerty Oh conscience, 1
must give that same llDerIy TO every oIner
man, remembering that ne no more d1Hers
from me than dif1er from MN; | aovo-
cate the largest liberty IN all reilglous De-
lief and form OF worship. In aiS' ~ pun
tics, IN morals, ana IN rellglOn ieb tnefe p5
no gag law, no moving OF tae previous
question, no persecution, no lntoierahce'
You know that the ar ana the water
keep pure by constant clrculation, ana L
think there is a tendency IN rengloaS us
cussion to purit1cat10n and moral health.-
Between the fourth ana the sl1Geehtn een-
turies the Church proposed TO MAKE people
think Alright by prohlbltlng discussion ana
by strong censorship OF the press; ana py
rack, and gibbet, and hot lead down tne
throat, tried to make people orthodox Dut
it was discovered that you cannot change
mans belief by twisting OFT bis head, ana
tnat you cannot naAe d ruah aL SEQ shlHs SUI. ua.-
ferently by putting an awl through his eyes.
There is something IN mans conscience
which will huIl OH the mountain tnat you
throw upon it, and, unslnged OF the hre,
out of the flame will make red wings on
which the martyr will mount to glory.
In that time OF which L speak, between
the fourth and slxteenth centuries, people
went from the house OF God into the most
appalling iniqulty, and right along by con-
secrated affairs there were tides OF drunken
ness and licentiousness such as the world
never heard OF, and the very sewers OF per-
dition broke loose and Hooded the Church.
After while the printlng-press was 1feed,
and it broke the snackles OF the human
mind, Then there came large number OF
bad books, but where there was one man
hostile to the Christian religion there were